Advertisements for very senior judicial posts

There was a time when there were no advertisements for judicial posts.  Appointments were made by the Lord Chancellor following a secretive process. 

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 has made a sea change in practice and now an advertisement for the vital role of Lord Chief Justice has appeared - Judicial Appointments Commission.  Interestingly, the advert states - "Notifications of intent to apply are invited from candidates who are able to serve for at least 4 years before retirement."  This 4 years requirement will certainly rule out one or two who might have been possible candidates.    In law there is no upper or lower age limit for candidates apart from the statutory retirement age of 70.  Nevertheless, the advert states - "Given the need to deliver significant Court reforms and to steer the judiciary through our exit from the EU, the successful candidate is expected to be able to serve for at least 4 years."



In the Court of Appeal there is a need for six judges to replace those due to retire later in 2017 and early 2018 - see the Advertisement.

As well as the above, there is a requirement for a new President of the Supreme Court and for Justices - see the Supreme Court advertisement.   There appears to be no 4 year requirement applicable to this advertisement.

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 was a major reform in that it created the Supreme Court of the UK; provided the process for appointment of Supreme Court judges and also created the Judicial Appointments Commission.